Many eminent and prominent individuals have contributed tremendously in the struggle for human rights, but they are conspicuously absent in today's announcement of 13-member panel of Malaysian Human Rights Commission, said social reform group Aliran.

Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar this morning announced that the commission's first chairman is former deputy prime minister Musa Hitam.

Aliran president P. Ramakrishan told malaysiakini today while the list of members of the commission's announced by the Foreign Ministry showed an impressive array of names, many Malaysians would question what these members' credentials are in the field of human rights. [#1] [See list][/#]

He added that several non-governmental organisations, which he declined to identify, who have monitored and reported on human rights abuses for years and who have made it their business to be the watchdog of human rights are also not represented in the commission.

Meanwhile, DAP said the Human Rights Commission cannot discharge its mandate to promote and protect human rights in Malaysia unless it is given the widest powers and jurisdiction to oversee the human rights situation in the country.

DAP chairman Lim Kit Siang.noted in a statement today that while the appointments of Musa and the other 12 members come from a fairly good cross-section, "the critical question is whether the commission would end up as an 'alibi' institution to legitimise human rights violations in the country".

"A Human Rights Commission which is required to recognise draconian laws like the Internal Security Act, the Official Secrets Act, the Printing Presses and Publications Act, Sedition Act, Police Act, and Universities and University Colleges Act as not in violation of human rights when they are inconsistent with and contrary to basic human rights principles basedb on universal standards runs the risk of being regarded as an alibi institution to legitimise human rights violations in the country," Lim said.

Lim added that, unfortunately, the Human Rights Commission Act had right from the beginning crippled the commission by giving a very narrow and restricted definition of human rights coming under its purview, limiting its scope to the "fundamental liberties as enshrined in Part II of the Federal Constitution".

The commission, he added, should be guided by international human rights instruments, whether it be the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights or the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.

Meanwhile, human rights movement Suaram welcomed the appointment of Musa and other members to the commission, saying that its establishment is an important step towards restoring Malaysia's deteriorating human rights standards.

To be a respectable institution, the commission must first gain the confidence of the Malaysian public, its coordinator, S. Arutchelvan, said in a statement.

He reported that the main issues of human rights in Malaysia have been the abuse of power by top government leaders, corruption, blatant misuse of police powers and the independence of the judiciary.

"The success of the commission will be whether it is willling to deal with these thorny issues and whether it can fully exercise its independence and non-partisanship."

The question on everyone's mind is: "Can this commission carry out its duties without fear and favour?" Arutchelvan added.